Swiss Voters Shoot Down Government’s Pension-Fund Reform

  • Ballot shows 67% against plan that was passed by parliament
  • Swiss citizens vote up to four times a year on various issues

Pensioners outside the Opera House in central Zurich. 

Photographer: Pascal Mora/Bloomberg
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Swiss voters rebuffed a government plan to reform company pension funds, marking the second time this year that a proposal to adapt the country’s retirement system to changed demographics was rejected in a plebiscite.

The bill to increase wage deductions and reduce retirement payouts — in order to cope with higher life expectancy — was supported by just 32.9% of the electorate, according to final government results published on Sunday.